The government’s MyPlate dietary guidelines recommend that at least half of your daily grain intake be from whole grains. That means you should buy whole-wheat and whole-grain cereals, breads and pastas — and make the swap in your baking too. If a recipe calls for flour, use whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose white flour. Or at the very least, go half-wheat and half-white. It’s unlikely that you’ll notice a difference, and you’ll get more nutrients in your cooking.
Top 10 Food Substitutions for Healthier Cooking
There are some simple ingredient swaps you can make during cooking and baking to make your favorite dishes even healthier. Here are some of our favorites
Whole Wheat Flour for White Flour
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Food Swaps
- Applesauce for Oil, Butter or Sugar
- Nonfat Greek Yogurt for Mayo or Sour Cream
- Mashed Avocado for Butter or Oil in Baking
- Mashed Bananas for Sugar, Butter and Fats
- Nuts for Croutons in Salads or Granola in Yogurt
- Rolled Oats for Bread Crumbs
- Soda Water for Tonic Water
- Whole Wheat Flour for White Flour
- Zucchini Ribbons or Spaghetti Squash for Pasta
- Pureed Potato for Cream to Thicken Soup